Bow to Your Queen
by nychnymph
Summary: Princess Annabeth is the crown heir of the Kingdom of Athena and for years, she's spent her days studying ancient scrolls. But the ending of a decade-long time of peace awaits the land as political tension rises and rebellion is whispered among the people. With unlikely companions at her side, she sets off to unite the Kingdoms once more before they tear each other apart. Percabeth


**I've been itching to write and publish this, ever since I took a month vacay in Europe and started the story skeleton after a particularly rad visit to the Tower of London! England brings out the romantic in me :')  
So welcome to BYQ!  
Full cover image can be found in a link on my profile, as well as a informative map of the Olympian Kingdoms too! I highly suggest checking those out because it'll definitely help your reading! Both are made by me.  
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**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson but I do own the plot of this fanfiction.**

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**Bow to Your Queen**

Chapter One: The Calm Before The Storm

_Lord, we know what we are,  
But know not what we may be.  
_-Ophelia, Hamlet Act 4 Scene V

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_The land of Olympus had been a wild wasteland ruled by the treacherous beasts of the North until man came to rule it. From the Earth bore the twelve kingdoms of Olympus and from the sky did the twelve royal families rise to power. In the beginning there was war and suffering as land was fought over by the first monarchs, the Titans. Years passed, now the Kingdoms have fallen silent under the second era of monarchs, the Olympians. For twenty years, the Kingdoms sat in sullen peace like the calm before the deep threatening storm…and soon, no Kingdom will be safe any longer._

.

The light spread through this room like harsh sunbeams between the leaves of the canopy, leaving the ornate yet quite messy bedroom streaked in golden showers. Mostly the sun was welcome as it glared through glossy windowpane, but not today. The girl sat half in her chair and half sprawled across the table, her gown in a messy state of semi-undress and her golden hair curling over the scrolls and papers she poured all night over. At the intruding light, she grimaced and covered her eyes with a lazy arm. "Go away, sun." She muttered but slowly sat up nonetheless.

It was only the occasional moment like this where she wasn't regal and proper like she was brought up to be. Ink tipped her fingers and upon scratching her collarbone, ink spilled out against her creamy tan skin.

Pushing stray curls out of her face, she smacked her lips sleepily and tore a piece of parchment away from her cheek, where it was stuck, just as there was a knock on the door.

"My Lady?" The wispy, singsong voice was muffled by the rosewood door, "I'm coming in now!" The door creaked open as the petite handmaiden slipped inside. Her large creased eyes crinkled in amusement at the sight before her. "Studying all night again?" She busied herself with cleaning the mess immediately, her almost greenish tinted skin and practically magenta hair gleaming in the sunlight, "Your mother will be displeased with those dark circles, Lady Annabeth."

Annabeth stood, gathering her papers with awakened energy. "Oh but Juniper, I found older records of the war tactics and architectural marvels used during the Beginning by the Titans," Annabeth couldn't help but grin, "What a find, am I right? I just couldn't stop reading."

Juniper rolled her eyes playfully but nodded, gathering the waxy stubs of candles Annabeth had left burning all night. "Yes, yes but hurry now. I'll draw your bath. You mustn't be late for the Meeting."

The scrolls Annabeth found the night prior, although interesting and worth the intense studying, could not dampen the overwhelming anticipation, and dread, of what today had brought.

Five years prior, Annabeth had simply been far too young to attend. But with this new Meeting bought with it the tensions of the Kingdoms as of late. It was no rumor that there had been skirmishes at the borders of the Kingdoms of Ares and Hephaestus, no accident that supplies were disappearing by the hundreds and no mistake by saying the people of Olympus were unhappy. They were restless, angry as if the birds carried revealing secrets to whisper in their ears. Faithful houses tried their best to dispel this talk but they couldn't stop the whisperings, the murmurs of rebellion brought up by the shadows of the men in plague masks. No Kingdom's alleys were safe from the roaming bands of the Fearless, who dressed in black robes and fashioned themselves to help the people. They hated the Kingdoms, as many thought, and projected a very 'steal from the rich, give to the poor' vibe.

And it was really just her luck that the Meeting of the Olympian Kingdoms would be held in her kingdom, her own home even. She wanted to be in the thick of it, wanted to get her hands dirty with all the politics so the Kingdom of Athena could- would- get the upper hand.

_Years of watching has made me ambitious, _she thought as she sunk down into the rose petal bath Juniper had drawn for her. _But really what is a crown heir supposed to do? _Years of being looked down for being a female tactician, a female architect, scholar, warrior had made her hunger for power.

Though there were five Queens on the thrones of Olympus, they were still regarded as lesser than Kings. Even her mother, the great Queen Athena, had to prove she was worthy and now she, Princess Annabeth of the Kingdom of Athena and sole heir to the throne, starved for her own chance to prove her worth. She was no petty woman to roll on her back and give way. She would claw her way up with tooth and nail or die trying.

Of course that'd be very unladylike to express publicly, and if she were unladylike people would start to suspect. So Annabeth kept it to herself and submerged her head in the warm bath water to conceal her calculating smirk.

.

One of the better things about the Meeting of the Kingdoms was, no doubt, being able to seeing royal friends again. When your best friends live two Kingdoms away and are all nobles in the Courts of Kings and Queens, you don't really meet them as often as you'd like.

It was different when Annabeth was younger, for she could just invite her friends to stay in the Athenian castle for a month or so but now she was seventeen years old with duties and responsibilities her friends never seemed to understand.

Thalia, Princess of the Kingdom of Zeus, was too busy running wild in the Dionysus Kingdom after being forced to giver her right to the throne to her younger brother Jason, while Prince Luke of the Kingdom of Hermes seemed too set on chasing skirts than working toward his reign (even though he was twenty years old already). Annabeth's dearest friend Piper, the only sensible Princess in the Court of Aphrodite in Annabeth's opinion, had been in touch recently through letters and understood Annabeth's duties enough not to beg her to attend every petty party the Court of Aphrodite threw (though she still did beg occasionally).

Luckily, but sometimes unluckily, the monarchs traveled with all of their Court and by late morning, the gorgeous front gardens of the castle was filled with carriages, prancing horses and nobles of every Kingdom. Annabeth watched from the front windows of the second floor, playing with the drapes as each grand carriage pulled up.

The Court of Aphrodite pulled up in a line of dazzling white, gold and pink carriages with high wheels and each drawn by white stallions, the Hera Kingdom had glittering purple, green and blue carriages with thousands of decorated peacock feathers and lastly… Annabeth's gray eyes hardened as the iridescent gradient blue carriages carried by teams of sleek charcoal horses that looked like they were cantering on waves rolled through the castle's high gold gates.

It was no exaggeration to say the Kingdom of Poseidon was one of the Kingdom of Athena's enemies by far. They shared a southwestern border, patrolled daily by more guards than any other borders combined by both sides. One rampant insult thrown by the King Poseidon over the structure of a naval flight and a shipping port and it was clear that the King of the Seas and the Queen of Wisdom hated each other.

Annabeth shared this distrust and hatred, as well. The Court of Poseidon was nothing more than a bunch of salty sea scumbags with too much time on their hands and too much water in their ears. They liked to dismiss the advantage of wisdom and strategy as much as they liked to overplay and brag about their strength on the waves.

She straightened the pale gold cape draped around her shoulders and paused to pat the pale blue dress hem at her bust line, hoping her full gown wasn't too much. It had been one of her cousin's choices no doubt and… Her thoughts trailed off as she caught a glimpse of King Poseidon and his entourage stepping out of their parade of carriages.

In the bright light of the morning, the fourth noble out of the carriage looked up to the castle before him. His dark hair shone, quite messily, in the sun and Annabeth practically gasped as he glanced up.

He seemed to be staring straight at the second floor window, straight at her. Going on the notice that he could see her, she merely frowned and turned away from the glass in a swirl of bustling skirts. _What was that? _She put her hand to her warming cheek, glanced around and strode down the corridor quickly.

Guards and maids bowed as she passed but her mind swiftly led her down to the grand courtroom on the ground floor. Annabeth turned a corner, her hands twisting the clear dewdrop jewels of her necklace as a distraction. Gliding down the marble staircase, it felt entirely too hot to wear such a tight corset in the billowy heat of midday but it was the least of her worries. Half of her mind dwelled on the Meeting, half on the strange Poseidon noble. But it was only for a moment until she tumbled straight into another person.

"Gods! Annabeth, the only day you should be alert and here you are stumbling down staircases." The fiery cut of her voice sent Annabeth smiling and she glanced up from the arms of Thalia.

Her dark short hair swept to the side in a gentle curl and her pale face was dotted with dark freckles that framed her blazing blue eyes. Just as Annabeth would have least expected her, she wore a tailored sweeping full gown of navy and indigo and looked to be grimacing at the pressure of her own corset. "Thalia!" Annabeth smiled and embraced her quickly, before pulling back and glancing at her friend's gown. "I would've never expected, honestly."

Thalia blew out of her nose. "Believe me, I would've worn my riding outfit if Father dearest hadn't had such a _tantrum_ over it." Annabeth could actually imagine King Zeus throwing such a childish fit and it only made their laughter louder as they continued on together.

Looped arm in arm, they descended to the large first floor landing. Nobles of every Kingdom strode side by side toward the grand gold doors of the ballroom, where a squire addressed their names, titles and ranks to the already filling ballroom. The mixing of the colors of gowns and robes and suits blurred in Annabeth's vision, making an odd sort of rainbow before her alert eyes.

"I swear some of those Aphrodite women are wearing the same dress." Thalia's eyebrows rose as she glided down to the carpet, dragging Annabeth with her and defiantly meeting the eyes of anyone who turned to look at them. "I'm sure Luke has a couple of those lying on his bedroom floor." Annabeth's cheeks colored and she smacked her friend's upper arm. "Thalia!" They stepped forth to the doors, the squire's loud voice booming as he addressed the Count and Countess of the Kingdom of Demeter.

"What? Since when did you get so modest?" Thalia smirked at her as they passed through the double doors and stood on the red carpet at top of the entrance, the squire bowing to them. Thalia grimaced at the scene before her, the nobles gathering at tables and introducing one another and tilling around the twelve golden thrones by the center wall. "Ugh look at this shit." She cursed under her breath.

"Princess Annabeth, crown heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Athena, accompanied by Princess Thalia of the Kingdom of Zeus!" The squire bellowed and heads turned quickly as they descended the grand steps and out to the marble ballroom.

Annabeth smiled politely, but gripped Thalia's arm and glanced at her. "Since I realized I wanted to rule all this 'shit'." She murmured out of the corner of her mouth and smirked at the amused glint in her friend's eyes. "Well at least you'd make this shit more enjoyable." Thalia nudged her shoulder with Annabeth's.

The blonde smiled softly and turned to survey their company. The Dukes and Duchesses of Dionysus were already off in the left corner of the grand room, drinking and eating and laughing loud and proud for all to hear. The room was decorated in the light gold, deep yellows and soft grays of the Kingdom of Athena, and guards flanked every set of tall as the ceiling, ornate windows that led out to the balconies that looked out upon the gorgeous lush gardens.

At the back of the tall marble carved room sat twelve tall gold thrones, upon each was their respective King or Queen. From the center was King Zeus and from each side fanned out the rest of the Queens and the Kings. Queen Athena sat on the immediate right of King Zeus as was customary for those who's Kingdom was host for the Meeting. Her mother looked amazing in her full golden dress, her crown glinting in the light of the room and her white fur cape billowed effortlessly from her shoulders like it weighed nothing (though Annabeth had tried it on once when she was fifteen and nearly collapsed at the weight).

Annabeth was actually quite peeved that she had not been born with her mother's dark lush hair and slender neck. She gently traced her neck and frowned at the stubbiness. "Don't look so mournful, Annabeth," A heavy arm flung itself over her shoulders and she gasped, "Your neck is beautiful."

The person leaned in to push his lips close to her neck but she stepped out of his grasp quickly, frowning. "Luke!" Annabeth huffed at the older man; adjusting her dress neckline, "Don't act so undignified!" His combed yellow hair glowed, more palely than Annabeth's and his suit was lighter grey, almost white, with a vibrant red sash across it. His various military metals jingled, looking quite impressive against the expensive material of his clothing.

A long time ago, Annabeth had fallen in love with him, him and his grin and arching scar on his face and his playful and protective attitude. But growing up changed him and now he was more of a playboy than anything, and Annabeth's feelings faded. Of course, he was still a very handsome man and acting so undignified with him, even though he was a good friend, made her cheeks blossom with color.

"Right, right." He rolled his eyes but bowed to her just a tad, as was customary for greeting fellow heir, "Now how are you, dearest Annabeth? Not weeping over your looks, I hope. Dare I say but I think you might be growing even more beautiful than the court of Aphrodite."

"Don't let them hear that." Thalia snorted from Annabeth's side, nodding her head in the direction of the small pack of Aphrodite ladies who had flocked near them at the sight of Luke, "Or Annabeth will find some poison in her biscuits at dinner." Annabeth laughed, her gold tiara glinting at the motion. Thalia smiled at her appreciatively, because she loved when she made her best friend laugh.

Luke however had busied himself with making smooth glances at the group of ladies, who blushed and giggled every time he looked over. "Well," He cleared this throat, looking to Thalia and Annabeth, "regardless, I'm not going to bed Annabeth or else Her Majesty Athena will come and chop my head off. So I'll have to settle with those fine ladies over there. 'Bid you adieu." And with that, he took long strides over to the group of ladies, probably to ask one of them to dance.

Annabeth grimaced. "Does he have to be so open about his sexual encounters? Gods, I would rather bed a son of Poseidon than Luke." Thalia proceeded to laugh so hard; she had to take out her fan to cover her mouth. Annabeth laughed lightly as well, but felt rather odd for saying such a thing. _Gods, if my mother had heard me. _She shook her head, gentle golden strands flying out of her intricate braided bun.

Busying herself with looking through the crowds for Piper, Annabeth failed to take note of the approaching company until someone cleared her throat behind her. While Annabeth made a tight turn, Thalia whirled around and almost knocked over a server's silver plate of cookies.

"Gods," Thalia cursed, the server wincing, "Sorry. Oh my, wait a second." She then took a couple of cookies and busied herself with eating them, not bothering to hold in her groans of delight at the taste. Unperturbed by her friend's bad manners, Annabeth curtsied instantly to their company, bowing her head gently as she did so. "Queen Demeter," She addressed as she rose, "To what do I owe the pleasure? Uh, to what do _we _owe?" She nudged Thalia with her elbow and Thalia quickly swallowed and curtsied as well.

Queen Demeter looked rather amused, which was a good thing. She had two ladies-in-waiting flanking her and her dress was of a flowing light green, and faintly reminded Annabeth of a long nightgown. Her crown was a towering spectacle of sparkling emeralds and jeweled cherry blossom flowers, and she was draped in a creamy white cape that ended at the waist but held long sweeping sleeves that fell to the floor. Her light brown frizzy hair twirled back into an up-do tucked under her crown and though her face was enchanting, it was clear she was older than the other female monarchs. Her ladies-in-waiting donned light brown matching sweeping gowns with long capes of light yellow sheep fur and held their hands clasped in front of their skirts patiently.

"Well, my dears," She tilted her head to the side, "I've heard from a quite few young ladies today that the two of you are very headstrong. Two beautiful, fearless princesses of the Court of Athena, and Zeus no less, I just had to come and speak with." Thalia's cheeks were reddening and Annabeth tried to keep the frown off her face. She doubted the words the other young ladies said were so kind, and in fact 'headstrong' was probably used as an insult even, but here they were being complimented by a Queen. It was rather ironic.

Annabeth smiled instead, smoothing her dress. "Thank you, Your Majesty. Being complimented by such a good, beautiful Queen is beyond our wildest dreams!" Her smooth compliment made the Queen, and her two ladies-in-waiting, smile themselves, though Annabeth could practically hear Thalia's eye-roll. The older black haired girl always said she was a 'suck-up' but when you're aiming to be the best monarch the world has ever known, you got to work it like that. Queen Demeter continued their conversation easily and Annabeth engaged enthusiastically, even though she could tell Thalia was bored out of her mind. She kept shifting and busied herself with flagging down servants and gulping sweet nectar wine like it was oxygen. Annabeth was starting to come undone, her annoyance making her corset seem so much tighter, but she did not let it show.

"Oh and please allow me to introduce my daughter!" Demeter turned and waved over a beautiful woman maybe a year or two older than Annabeth. She had long auburn hair curled by in an up-do that resembled her mother's and bejeweled with a similar style tiara as well, the light cream undertones of her crown bringing out her lovely oaky colored skin. Her dress was light orange but very like her mother's without the cloak and she smiled happily at Annabeth. "Princess Persephone," Annabeth breathed, about to drop into a curtsy when the crown heir of the Kingdom of Demeter snatched her up in a huge hug. At the very informal, affectionate greeting, Annabeth gasped and inhaled some of Persephone's grassy perfume. To hold in her coughs, she snapped her lips closed tight and let Persephone hug her.

"It's so nice to meet you!" She giggled as she finally pulled back from Annabeth, "Oh, I told Mother so much of my desire to meet the famed Princess Annabeth! I'll heard so much of your eager to learn and excel and you'll have to forgive me for being so bold, but I really feel we could be such great companions! And of course, you too Princess Thalia!" Persephone moved in for the kill and caught an unsuspecting Thalia in a similarly tight embrace. Thalia's cheeks bulged out at the hug and she looked green with the effort of keeping all the food she shoved in her mouth still inside.

Annabeth laughed, not even bothering to cover her mouth. Persephone joined as she pulled back and after a hard swallow and a coughing fit, so did Thalia. Annabeth pretended to not notice the glances they were receiving and turned to smile at Queen Demeter. "Thank you, Your Majesty." Annabeth touched Persephone's shoulder gently, "for introducing us! We will most graciously offer our championship to Princess Persephone." Persephone glowed with a big smile and Queen Demeter smiled too as they bade farewell and headed back to Queen Demeter's throne, but Annabeth's strategically programmed mind was practically buzzing at the mere idea of finding an ally in the Kingdom of Demeter. The light orchestra was firing up another airy, romantic tune when Thalia slid her arm through Annabeth's. "I know that look." Thalia murmured as she stirred them around to face the incoming guests. "Don't tell me you're thinking of using that poor girl? Gods that'd be even too much for you, I'd think."

"Oh stop!" Annabeth snapped haughtily, tossing a curly stray hair over her shoulder, "Like I would be so cruel!" She opened her mouth to continue and oppose her friend's unjust accusation when she faltered as the herald shouted a new arrival. It wouldn't have stopped her mid monologue if it wasn't the Court of Poseidon strolling through the ballroom's large gold doors. She hardened instantly, as did all the Athenians in the room. The Court of Poseidon's careful jostling and laughter wasn't met with silence and all who the King Poseidon passed bowed respectively, but it was clear it was tense for the Athenian nobles. Even the servants seemed to tense with their platters, though they were expected to approach and offer and did so diligently.

King Poseidon, Lord of the Sea, strolled toward the crowds to his throne amongst the twelve with his wife Amphitrite coldly inspecting the room from his arm. They were dressed head to toe in flowing robes of every shade of blue, as was all of their Court, and yet Annabeth prickled at the gold accessories adorning Amphitrite's arms. Gold was the Kingdom of Athena's color, and it was clear on the face of Queen Athena's advisors that this was a direct sign of disrespect, yet her mother looked absolutely calm as if she didn't even notice. Annabeth growled quietly and Thalia patted her forearm. "Quiet, you sound like a sheepdog," her friend muttered, "Besides it's not like gold suits that sea witch. Gods, look at their Court."

Annabeth had been around many easy-going people, like Thalia when it came to politics. But even the daughter of King Zeus knew to keep herself well in order when it came to a Meeting. Yet, the Court of Poseidon, with his seven sons and array of ladies and lords, were easy and breezy like a damn sea wind. They were a parade of blues in Annabeth's vision and she averted her gaze to not catch any of their eyes, for depending on their rank either she or they would have to address the other in order to be respectful. "You know," Thalia whispered to her, "The Land of Poseidon is well inhabited by herds of roaming wild stallions, and the men of the Kingdom are said to be rather skilled with horses. Perhaps they are hung like them, as well." She snickered and Annabeth's ears burned, not being able to help herself from grimacing.

"Oh Gods, really Thalia?" She hissed lowly, gripping her friend's arm tightly. Thalia merely shrugged with one shoulder, shooting a passing lord in a smart dark blue suit a flirty smile. "I don't have bad blood with them," She declared, "And didn't you see the look that young lord came me? They're quite charmers, I heard. No wonder King Poseidon had seven sons, all by different mothers." Annabeth rolled her eyes. It was true that the Kingdom of Athena had bad blood with the Kingdom of Poseidon, mostly because those mongrels' brains were too filled with kelp to keep their paws off of Athenian land, not to mention they were so diluted by sea salt that they so stupidly fought constantly over the Gulf of Athens which was clearly the land of the Kingdom of Athena's! Along with Poseidon's failure to recognize a single son of his as the rightful crown heir to his throne (something that did not fly to the upkeep of a Kingdom), there was no way that the Kingdom of Athena would let their southwestern border neighbor's untamed behavior go unchecked. So they had a five or so yearlong war that ended with King Zeus, the Father King of the Twelve Kingdoms, slamming his fist down and declaring the Gulf of Athens shared territory, which would've been a good idea if the Kingdom of Poseidon knew how to share.

Annabeth was sure she had quite a sour expression on her face, and it certainly did not waver when Thalia knocked their shoulders together and whispered furiously: "Don't look now but one of the Princes of Poseidon is looking straight at you!" So of course, Annabeth turned and looked.

She honestly didn't know what she was expecting but it definitely wasn't the shattering realization that Thalia was indeed right and not fooling around with her. One of the sons of Poseidon stood in a little circle of a couple of his brothers and a few members of other Kingdoms' Courts, with his arm taken by a red-haired girl in a hunter green dress who seemed to be talking adamantly with their company. He had dashing windswept black hair, which looked like he had tried to comb it back but failed miserably, yet it still look naturally good. His shoulders were fitted in a light sea green blue suit with gold shoulder tassels and a white and gold sash depicting his rank, while various military badges hung off his chest. Annabeth glanced up to meet his eyes and narrowed her own at the clear beautiful color of his. He was lightly tanned with a muscular build and a strong chin and yet the Gods graced him as well with stunning eyes and light pale freckles. She almost felt bad for all the men who would stumble along and like the same woman as he would.

With no regard to her polite manners, she simply scrunched up her nose at him and turned abruptly away, spinning Thalia around along with her. "Aw Annabeth! He was very cute," Thalia snickered, glancing over her shoulder, "Oh he looks so wistful. He keeps glancing back. Gods, well I doubt the red-haired woman is his sweetheart or anything. She's wearing dark green, that's the color of the Oracles of Apollo. Oh is he talking to the Ambassador of Hades? That definitely is the Ambassador since he's wearing black cloaks. He's younger and cuter than I thought."

Annabeth grumbled and rolled her eyes. "I feel physically sick. A prince of Poseidon, cute? Please, Thalia, you'll make me vomit on my heels. He might be rather attractive to someone who didn't know of the Kingdom of Poseidon's treachery!" She touched her ear, tracing the gold pearl earring with her fingertips. She felt so odd, looking so closely at a boy. She never had looked so deeply at a man before, regardless of her status of being perfectly at the right age to be into love. Girls her age were getting married; girls _younger _than her were getting married. Oh, it made her stomach churn to think of getting married. If she had her way, she'd grow up, become a virgin Queen and rule all the Twelve Kingdoms together without any man at her side. Well perhaps maybe not a virgin Queen-

"Pardon me? Treachery?" A clear lower voice jolted her from her thoughts and made her jump. Thalia held in a gasp and they turned, skirts bustling. At first, all Annabeth saw was light blue suit adorned with gold buttons with the crest of the coat of arms of Poseidon detailed in their reflective surfaces. Then she looked up and was met with the piercing gaze of the Prince of Poseidon she had previously slandered. Swallowing a harsh reply, she dipped into a curtsy along with Thalia, nodding her head both at the Prince and the Ambassador of Hades who had accompanied him. "Forgive her," Thalia smirked at the two of them, "She's bitter from studying all night."

Annabeth whipped her head over to glare at her friend. "Excuse you! I had very important work to do and I am perfectly just in my choice of words. You just don't understand the stress of being a crown heir." She haughtily replied and Thalia pretended to act offended, placing her palm against her chest, trying to stifle laughter. "You're really more bark than bite!" Thalia snorted, tilting her head to their company, "And really, we should introduce ourselves."

Annabeth reluctantly looked back and tried to look anywhere but their faces. But the Prince took her hand and bent at the waist in formal greeting. "Prince Perseus of the Court of the Kingdom of Poseidon. And my companion, Prince Nico, Ambassador of the Court of the Kingdom of Hadies." He stood straight back up, black fringe messily framing his cheekbones and she quickly took her hand back, clasping it tightly with her other one over the skirt of her dress. The last thing she needed was more rumors from the Athenian ladies. First they question her femininity due to her interests, then her loyalty to the crown due to her interests in the Scrolls of the Titans, then she's standing here being introduced to one of the Princes of Poseidon and the Ambassador of Hades no less! She knew what they said about him, the son of the King of the Undead Island. His hallow cheeks and restless eyes pierced everything in sight, as if he was prepared to draw the ceremonial sword on his hip at any moment. He was shorter than Prince Perseus, less muscular and far paler, with longer black hair that hung closer to his chin in a very outlaw-eqsue manner.

She cleared her throat, well aware of the long pause she had created being cautious and inspecting the two of them. "Hello," Annabeth said stiffly, "My companion, Princess Thalia of the Court of Zeus. And I am Princess Annabeth, crown heir to the throne of the Court of Athena. It has been lovely meeting you both, I assure you, but Prince Perseus-"

"Percy."

Annabeth blinked, confused as she looked up at him and tilted her head to the side. Her hair curled around her cheek and she brushed it out of the way. "Excuse me?" She shifted. There was a flash of what looked like a smirk on Ambassador Nico's face, but it was gone before she was sure. "Uh," the Prince cleared his throat, "Everyone calls me Percy. Perseus is my full name, I only use it for formal titles."

Her eyebrows rose at him and Thalia stiffened a giggle. Proper manners required her to only call him Perseus until they were well into a long companionship, or a relationship even. It made her cheeks hot to think about that, and she fought with the nausea that rose in her stomach at the idea. Yet it seemed he didn't know this at all. She opened her mouth to reply when the ballroom filled with the clear blare of multiple trumpets. She took two steps back, nodded goodbye to the two men before dragging Thalia with her to the front of the ballroom where the thrones were. Each King and Queen stood from their throne, with unique specter in hand and when they bowed their heads, every person in the room bowed lower.

When she rose, Annabeth stepped to the side as the Father King, Zeus, led the Twelve Olympians monarchs from their thrones and through the door of the ballroom to the seminar room across the Hall of Truth (named so by the former Lord of the Gulf of Athens who died horribly in the battle of the Gulf of Athens). Usually by rank, the Courts would follow, yet Annabeth hung back at the resistance of Thalia. The older girl had developed a rather serious expression and when she turned to Annabeth, her face tried to hide the unease Annabeth could blatantly see. They said nothing as the crowd eased around them, but Annabeth gently touched her friend's hand and whispered: "No matter what happens, we will always be friends." When the daughter of Zeus's face broke into a grateful smile, Annabeth hoped to the Gods that she hadn't lied.

.

The seminar room was reconstructed larger to house the entire attendance of the Meeting, and its light wood panels were decorated with fancy gold crests. In the center of the room was a large raised circle with twelve identical gold thrones and audience seats rose upward in front of it like a theatre. Behind the gold thrones were three light wood rows of seats taken by the various Oracles of the Kingdoms, with the three old Fates gathered close in the front room. Two balconies rose from each side of the throne circle to house the groups of advisors and various attorneys each Court employed. It had to be one of Annabeth's favorite rooms when she was younger, but as she grew and was forced to learn more traditional roles for a young lady, she rarely got to flounce up and down the isles. But now she wanted nothing else but to sit in her seat and sit still. The tension in the air was stiff as each Court filled into their respective area and assigned seating, as the seats were arranged by rank.

Being a crown heir, Annabeth's seat was in very front and as she sat, she glanced over to see Thalia sit about ten seats down. Her friend sat directly next to the crown heir of the Kingdom of Zeus, her younger half-brother Jason, whose classy behavior, yellow blond hair and supposedly charming behavior made him the heartthrob of girls everywhere. He was the crown prince to the Father King, but Annabeth hadn't talked with him much despite being his sister's best friend. She couldn't help herself but feel bitter around the 'Prince Charming', as it was his heritage and position as the Mother Queen Hera's chosen hero that knocked Thalia from her direct line to the throne. Annabeth didn't blame him too much, for it was really Queen Hera's jealous temper that blew it up for Thalia. Didn't Hera have her own kingdom to run? Of course, she'd be upset since Queen Hera was King Zeus's wife, but Thalia's mother had given birth to Thalia long before that marriage was even forming. Besides, it wasn't like King Zeus loved Queen Hera. Maybe there was some feelings there but the obvious diplomatic marriage for the sake of establishing trade and the sheer amount of King Zeus's consorts honestly just made Queen Hera look rather foolish, and Gods forbid, desperate.

Annabeth's eyes narrowed as she turned to look at the raised floor and the twelve-semi circle of thrones. Hera sat tall on the right of Zeus, looking out through the room with an upturned snooty gaze. Her dark hair was lined with a crown of silver peacock feathers and if Hera had met Annabeth's gaze, Annabeth would've probably scowled at her. Instead she turned her scowl into her hands, listening to the flutter of fans as ladies and duchesses slide out their delicate accessories to cover their mouths as a formality. Annabeth would've covered her scowl too, if she liked fans and carried one. She looked back up and immediately caught the eyes of her mother.

Queen Athena raised her head and smiled softly at Annabeth. Despite her mother's controlled demeanor and strict manners, Annabeth still loved her very much. Though she wasn't around as much as Annabeth liked, her mother was her closest family and every minute since her father left, Annabeth appreciated Athena's presence more. So she straightened her back, folded her hands in her lap and smiled brightly back at her mother, determined to make her proud this Meeting. If she had the chance to speak, of course she would use it to glide through the high standards set before her. As the daughter of a Queen famed for her wisdom, Annabeth had her work cut out for her. Luckily, she had just finished her extra credit.

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**I usually aim to write 5,000-6,000 words a chapter, but I'm not sure if that's too little or too much so I'd loooove feedback on that.  
Otherwise, thank you for reading and make sure to review! C:**


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